Huntsville gazette., 1887-09-03
hORSE-MEAT IN PARIS.
Noisy Frenchmen Literally Clamoring TOR
Cut of vfande de Cheval.

WAS lOIu lldc IL utdu HOl % w 1o hOo
by any means dead loss in Paris, and
accepted this statement as the only
reasonable explanation / could dis
cover Of the really destructive cruelty
with which one constantly sees those
poor animals treated. l was directed
to shops where viande de cheUat is
frankly sold. l went to a restaurant
where I was assured that this delicacy
would infallibly be served up to me
for beefsteak, and it was. But still
was unable to grasp the idea of the
horse as an established fact in food
a coveted article of diet--until one night
when I had ocular proof of the supple
mentary career of usefulness upon
which this faithful servant of man only
enters when he has toiled his last
weary course over the slippery pave
ments of the capital of Europe.
We had been wandering away from
the great thoroughfare. If you are in
search of characteristic glimpses OF
Partisan life you will do well to keep
away from the bois, the great boule-
wards and the lights, where the tourist
is surely to be with you. armed with
his little red "Baedeker" and skipping
briskly from point to point, slipping
information from the catalogue and
the guide book.
We had turned off from the Rue du
Temple into street so narrow that we
seemed to have dropped into a crack
between the tall, grim, smoke black
ened old houses that loomed on either
side This .crack' was endowed
with alleged sidewalks. They were
about fifteen inches wide, and looked
like an indefinitely protracted door
step. No mortal but the thin man of
museum could possibly walk on
them. We eschewed them and trotted
contentedly through the middle of the
street with the rest of the population.
The small shops along the way were
akght, and so were the lamps, al
though overhead the tops Of the high
houses and the quaint irregular roofs,
with their picturesque chimney-pots,
were still flushed with a sunset light
fhe color of the pink anemones from
Nice that were piled up on so many Of
the flower barrows along the bou-
levards.
We passed the venders of nsarrons
rotiS who appear to grow in the angles
of walls, so surely do you find them
established there, with their little
smoking furnaces and bag of shining
chestnuts. We glanced at the stall Of
the woman who stands all day frying
potatoes to q warm, brown crispness.
At the evening hour she has many Gus
toners, men, women and children.
We stopped to watc ch them, but directly
perceived that little further along
the street quite a crowd had gathered,
and we FASTENED to add ourselves to
the multitude.
Reaching the edge of the motley
ihrong, we climbed upon bench
standing in front of a lavoir and
looked over the heads of the people.
After all it was only poor horse
dropped dead in his tracks
no uncommon sight ! stepped
down and turned to 90, but Sketchem
cluched my sleeve and cried: "Wait-
| got back into position and looked.
Several men were tugging at the beast;
dragging him to a large cart-a sort OF
animal ambulance. The wagon he had
lately drawn stood by, with empty
harness Presently they had him in
place on his back, with his hoofs kick
ing at heaven.
Then a sturdy, red checked, black
eyed fellow, picturesque in the lamp
light and the blaze of a torch fixed at
the tail of the cart appeared on the
scene. A brown woolen cap was
pushed far back on his head, the
sleeves Of his blue blouse were rolled
to his shoulders He jumped upon the
gray carcass and stood grasping one
of the stiffening legs. He smiled at
the eager looking crowd, and his
white teeth shone in the torch-glare. !
caught also the CLEAN of long, bright
knife in his hand. H fell into sort
of an address-over- Caesar s-body atti-
tude. '-Is he going to deliver an ora
| ton on the virtues and vicisstudes OF
| the defunct beast, or is he about to hold
clinic in the street?"
I turned with a smile and this ques-
ton to Sketchem, who was too busy
with pencil and paper to heed me, and
felt the smile withering on my lips as
the meaning of The extraordinary spec
tacle dawned upon me.
had seen enough. slipped down
and sat on the bench as the people
| pressed forward, literally clamoring to
be served from the impromptu butchers
shop with various cuts OF viar'de de
| cheval Chicago Times.